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The Crankypants’ Guide to Brighter Mornings

Not all of us can be morning persons. It’s never easy to wake up with a gigantic smile on our faces, eager to jumpstart our day. But we also can’t be the biggest morning Grinch. I used to be one, and I bit off more heads on my way to work than I could possibly count.

However, growing older put things into perspective, especially upon realizing that many of my more accomplished peers are the ones who seem alive and cheerful early in the morning. So despite being the opposite of a morning person, I made it a goal to be a little more cheerful upon waking up. It’s definitely not easy when waking up early is one of my many pet peeves. But then again, one way to be happy is to make a conscious effort to actually be happy.

There are days when I still wake up cranky, but trying at least one or two of the following habits have definitely made my mornings notably brighter:

1. Place a photo of your loved ones near your bed. If you like the first thing you see in the morning, then it already gives a good start to your day.

2. Drink water before going to sleep. It doesn’t just help you feel relaxed and rejuvenated in the morning, you also end up balancing your energy levels, muscles and joints, and hormones.

3. Face the sunshine. Amp it up by taking a walk outside when the weather is good. Spending ample time in the great outdoors even just for twenty minutes can drastically improve your mood.

4. Have a positive mantra that you tell yourself everyday upon waking up. It’s like a medicine for the soul, but free. Repeteadly saying a mantra to yourself can improve your outlook for the rest of the day.

5. Always have something to look forward to everyday. If you have something planned, something you’re actually excited about, it’s easy to have the energy to get out of bed. It can be as simple as your lunch of pesto or a dinner with old friends. It doesn’t have to be big, it just has to matter.

7. Eat dark chocolate. Not just because it’s good, but also because dark chocolate is high in magnesium that can help ease anxiety. Also, who doesn’t like chocolate?

8. Do some stretching. Or better yet, do some exercises. Working out is one of the things regarded as the cure of many things in life, including depression. It boosts your brain power and helps you relax.

9. Don’t immediately read the news. Reading about bombings and politics can do nothing but dampen your mood. Save the bad news for later so you won’t feel disheartened as you munch on your breakfast.

10. Instead, read a book or a poem. Or anything that you can read for fun, including online essays you must admit you read everyday. After all, the secret to being a happy reader is reading something you actually enjoy.

11. Listen to upbeat music. It only works if you consciously want to be more cheerful while listening to music. So instead of just listening, why not try to dance or sing along while showering or preparing your lunch?

12. Spend at least fifteen minutes on your hobby. Nothing feels better than starting the day by doing something you love, right?

13. Wear something bright. How about yellow? Many people associate being happy to bright colors and yellow seems to be the perfect way to brighten up any kind of day.

14. Get enough sleep. The rate of waking up on the wrong side of the bed can be decreased if only we’ll spend less time staying up way too late. There’s also a study that observes sleep deprivation can cause the difficulty of remembering happy memories.

15. Smile. Face the mirror and give yourself a million dollar smile. If you can’t cheer yourself up, no one else can.

Of course, it’s silly to think that we can do all of these in one go. That’s quite a lot to accomplish in a single morning! Try one or two until you find the practice that actually works for you. I try to combine the practices to achieve full results, which means I don’t arrive at work with a frown on my face.

It’s impossible for all of us to be little balls of sunshine, but we can at least try. Coming from a crankypants, it’s a struggle to think of mornings as anything but negative. But with some effort, maybe we won’t be frowning down our breakfast as often as we usually do.

Author Bio:Nicolette Morrison is a twenty-something wannabe writer. She currently blogs and manages the social media accounts for the website Bestessays.com. She hopes to one day fulfill her dreams of being a unicorn. But for now, she settles on writing short stories and sleeping in every weekend.

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